[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H5720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            55TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION

  (Mr. COHEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday this Nation recognized the 55th 
anniversary of a great Supreme Court case--Brown v. Board of Education 
of Topeka. That case overruled a case called Plessy v. Ferguson, which 
legalized segregation in this country.
  The people who brought about the Brown v. Board of Education effort 
did much to start the civil rights movement and kindled a spirit and a 
spark in America that has led to more equal justice and a better nation 
that we are continually improving upon.
  John Hope Franklin, who recently died and has been honored by this 
House, researched the law on the subject; and Thurgood Marshall, who 
later became a United States Supreme Court Justice, argued the case on 
behalf of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
  On this, the 55th anniversary of that historic case that kindled a 
movement in this country that went from the streets and the churches to 
this Congress, we need to recognize those who have fought so valiantly 
for justice and liberty and civil rights in this Nation. I appreciate 
their efforts and what they've done for our Nation.

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